Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to what transpired at UFC on ESPN 7 and preview what’s to come this Saturday at UFC 245.
Show rundown:
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Alistair Overeem at UFC DC. He was getting mostly dominated and on his way to a guaranteed decision loss before a huge right hand knocked out Overeem (and shattered his lip) with four seconds remaining in the fifth round. Rozenstruik remains undefeated at 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. But after that performance, are we buying or selling him as a legit contender at heavyweight?
- Ben Rothwell delivered a pair of painful groin’ kicks to Stefan Struve at UFC DC, then went on to score a TKO victory – but not before referee Dan Miragliotta advised Struve to continue fighting. Since when should a referee be offering fighters advice during a fight?
- Liz Carmouche made history as the first woman to step inside the octagon back in 2013. More recently, she competed for a UFC title again earlier this year but lost to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Carmouche, 4-2 in her last six fights, was released last Friday by the UFC – get this – while she was in Washington D.C. doing a promotional tour with troops for the promotion. What do we make of her unceremonious exit, and what’s next for her?
- It’s UFC 245 fight week, which means we’re on the verge of finally seeing Kamaru Usman clash with Colby Covington, who’s been promoting the heck out of this showdown, but has he gone too far?
- Speaking of UFC 245, there are two other big title fights on the card: Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski and Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie 2. Which challenger is more likely to win? And which “old dog” on the main card is more likely to turn back the clock: Jose Aldo or Urijah Faber?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
